Category Archives: Things to try

“Hello. Hello. Can you hear me?” brief pause, “Yeah its me Gary. Your past the Thailand customs yeah….. Are you past the customs…. Yeah! Good. Now above you some where should be a sign directing you to meeting point one” ……… ” There’s no sign??? Are you sure?”. There was a sign I know because I had come through the same customs on my return from the Philippines several months before. “Never mind just turn right from the customs and keep walking I will come and meet you”. I made my way through the crowds before being stopped by a couple of security staff. Apparently this was as far as I could go. “Hello! Keep walking I cannot come any further.” and thankfully there about 50 foot through the crowd I saw the beautiful woman whom I had not seen in over a year and missed terribly. Yes my 70 year old Mum had come to Thailand.

C’mon, pick up, pick up. “Hello“. Bopha is that you? “Yeah hello. Wha u wan?” she sounded as groggy as hell. Bopha it’s me. Hobo. Are you still coming to Siem Reap? Its 6am and you were supposed to meet me here at my digs. The tuk tuk comes soon and the boat is booked. Are you still coming? “Yeah….. Who is it?” Sigh! Bopha its me Hobo. Remember? You are still coming yeah? “Yeah. Send tuk tuk round to my house.” Yeah ok Bopha. See you soon. Click! (There was no click because it was a mobile phone but I thought it added atmosphere)

Boat to Siem Reap going across Tonle Sap lake

So this was the start of my trip to Siem reap by boat. Not a good start but hey lets see how it goes yeah?

4 hours on a small cramped bus and I was finally at my destination. A small unremarkable town in the middle of nowhere. It is such a quiet place it literally closes up at 9.30. Shops, restaurants everything, the full town just shuts down. Not a lot here for the Hobo you might think, or is there????